Line things up at once with align buttons and number keys.
When you select an object, a row of align buttons appears below the toolbar. With one object selected, they align it to the scene; with several, they align them to each other. The number keys press the buttons in that row, in order from the left.
In Design mode, place the objects you want to align in the scene. As soon as you select even one object, the align buttons appear at the start of the sub-toolbar, the row below the toolbar.
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Center an object in the scene
Click one object to select it. Click Align Center in the sub-toolbar, and the object moves to the horizontal center of the scene. Then click Align Middle, and it sits in the exact center of the scene. With only one object selected, the scene’s edges and center are the reference.
Clicking Align Center and Align Middle with a rectangle selected moves it to the center of the scene. Video: A rectangle sits off toward the top left. Selecting it and clicking Align Center in the sub-toolbar moves it to the horizontal center of the scene, and clicking Align Middle moves it to the exact center. -
Line up several objects
Select several objects by dragging from an empty spot, or by holding ⇧ and clicking. Click Align Top, and all their top edges line up with the top edge of the highest one. With several selected, the box around the whole selection is the reference, so they don’t move toward the scene’s edge.
Clicking Align Top with three rectangles of different heights selected lines up their top edges. Video: Three rectangles of different heights are selected by dragging from an empty spot. Clicking Align Top lines up their top edges with the top edge of the highest rectangle. -
Space objects evenly
Select three or more objects and click Distribute Horizontally. The two at the ends stay put, and the ones between them move so the distances between their centers are equal. If the objects differ in size, the gaps between them can differ. For objects stacked top to bottom, click Distribute Vertically. Both buttons appear only when several objects are selected, and with just two selected, clicking them changes nothing.
Clicking Distribute Horizontally with three rectangles in a row selected moves the middle one so the spacing is equal. Video: Of three top-aligned rectangles, one sits off to one side. Selecting all three and clicking Distribute Horizontally moves the middle rectangle so the spacing is equal. -
Use the number keys
With something selected, the number keys press the sub-toolbar buttons in order from the left. 2 is Align Center, and 5 is Align Middle. So with one object selected, press 2 and then 5 to put it in the center of the scene. The table below shows which key presses which button.
Pressing 2 and then 5 with one rectangle selected moves it to the center of the scene. Video: With an off-center rectangle selected, pressing 2 moves it to the horizontal center, and pressing 5 moves it to the center of the scene. Each press briefly lights up that button in the sub-toolbar.
Buttons the number keys press
| Key | Button it presses | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 2 3 | Align Left · Align Center · Align Right | Aligns the horizontal position. The reference is the scene for one object, or the selection box for several. |
| 4 5 6 | Align Top · Align Middle · Align Bottom | Aligns the vertical position. |
| 7 8 | Flip Horizontal · Flip Vertical | Flips one object in place, or flips several as a whole around their selection box. |
| 9 0 | With several selected: Distribute Horizontally · Distribute Vertically | Evens out the spacing when there are three or more. |
| 9 0 | With one text object selected: Align Text Left · Align Text Center | Changes how the lines of text are aligned. See Add text. |
| 9 | With one shape or image selected: Distort | Lets you drag its four corners separately to warp it. See 3D and distortion. |
Numbers typed outside a field align the selection
If you mean to type a number into a field in the right panel but the cursor isn’t in the field, the number key presses a sub-toolbar button instead. For example, pressing 3 with one object selected moves it to the right edge of the scene. Check that the cursor is blinking in the field before you type. If something moved by mistake, press ⌘Z to undo it.
Inside frames, aligning by dragging, and where the buttons sit
To align inside a frame. Select one object inside a frame and click an align button, and it aligns to the frame’s edges and center instead of the scene’s. A frame is a container that holds other objects. See Shapes and frames.
To align while dragging. When you drag an object, it snaps to the edges and centers of other objects and of the scene, and a pink guide line appears. See Select and move.
Button positions shift with the selection. The number of buttons depends on what’s selected, and the row re-centers itself. If clicking the same spot did something unexpected, look at the buttons again before you click. Except during image editing or table editing, 1 through 8 always press the same buttons.
Updated 10/13/2026 · The videos on this page were recorded in the current editor.